


The Tales of Felicity Smoak, Who May or May Not Be Artemis Crock

by majesdaniangirl



Series: If I Told You My Secrets, You'd Never Look At Me The Same Again [1]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012), Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Felicity And Barbara Are Hacker Buddies, Felicity Is A Badass, Oliver Is An Asshole, So Many Batkids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-11
Updated: 2015-12-11
Packaged: 2018-05-06 02:33:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5399582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/majesdaniangirl/pseuds/majesdaniangirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Oliver freaks out, Crusher should really stop trying to break out of prison, and somehow Laurel, Roy, and Felicity sneak around without anyone suspecting anything. In other words, Felicity has a completely different backstory that changes their lives forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Tales of Felicity Smoak, Who May or May Not Be Artemis Crock

 

"Oh my god, Laurel. Go away." Felicity mumbled, burrowing her face further into the covers. "It's too early."

Laurel chuckled,"It's only seven. Stop being so dramatic." She scolded teasingly.

"I'm not being dramatic. I was up with Ollie until like, four last night. Long story short, we caught the criminal." She mumbled, though reluctantly began to open her eyes, blinking blearily at the sudden light.

"Hm, I'm not impressed." Laurel shrugged,"Now, I heard from a little birdie that you're meeting some college buddies for lunch, which means you've got to dress to impress." She smirked, rifling through Felicity's closet. "Maybe get you to branch out from that 'professional hot geek' look you've got going."

"I like my look." Felicity huffed, though managed to sit upright, hair strewn everywhere.

"Of course you do, honey. Just like you loved your t-shirt and baggy jeans phase."

"Will you let that go? It wasn't like I could just waltz around in skirts and dresses all day! It wasn't practical!" Felicity protested, earning her a raised eyebrow from Laurel, who was holding up three outfits, all dresses. She blushed,"That's different."

"Of course, of course. You know, maybe if I called Roy over he could help. I heard Thea tried to get him out of the old red hoodie for a while before she left..." Laurel frowned,"Then again, that might not be a good idea."

"No kidding." Felicity huffed,"He's never been able to dress properly. A girlfriend wouldn't help that."

Laurel swatted Felicity, rolling her eyes in the process. "You're sounding suspiciously like Roy." She sighed.

"I'm going to take that as a compliment." Felicity grinned cheekily, rolling out of bed and to her feet gracefully. "But seriously, how did you get into my apartment?"

"Through the window. It was an emergency, and you weren't answering your phone." Laurel smirked, and Felicity groaned, leaning back in her bed.

"You better hope nobody saw you."

"I'm a professional. Of course not." Laurel giggled, thrusting a baby blue blouse and a darker blue skirt in her direction. "Try this on."

"It's not like I have to dress fancy." Felicity frowned,"It's only Megan and Connor."

"You don't need an excuse to dress nicely, Artemis." Laurel huffed, ushering her into the bathroom. "Just change and get my seal of approval to meet up with your old teammate."

"Yes Aunt Dinah." Felicity sighed in defeat.

 

* * *

 

 

Dinah Laurel Lance was once in love with Oliver Queen. They had been dating for a year, and she had been sure of this fact, though still unwilling to reveal to him her hero identity. He watched the Justice League protect the world, never realizing his girlfriend was one of them. She prided herself that she had managed to tame the playboy billionaire. Then, he died having sex with her sister, and she broke. Laurel became immersed in her work, stricken by grief, until she met Roy Harper. Roy Harper, a young boy, far too damaged for his own good, and took him under her wing. She could protect him, and he could protect her, as her sidekick: Speedy. And then, without her knowledge, he was swapped for a clone. Even though he would come back as Arsenal, she never forgave herself.

When Artemis was sixteen, Black Canary and Batman showed up in her room with an offer. Two weeks later, she was joining the Justice League’s covert ops team, and becoming Black Canary’s sidekick. She posed as Dinah’s niece; their blonde hair helped with that claim, since none of The Team knew it was a wig. Artemis even began to consider Dinah to be her Aunt, their bond deepening as the time went on.

Oliver showed up after the Reach Invasion. He never knew what happened, didn’t know what was going on, or where all the heroes went. He didn’t know that The Reach Invasion shocked the world to its very core, from which it never recovered. First, powers were illegal. Aliens were outlaws, meant to be killed on sight if encountered, dangerous and deadly. Then came all vigilantes, even those who were humans themselves. He didn’t know this, and decided to become a vigilante to replace the old ones. The Hood had mixed responses by the public.

This was the world Wally West had given his life for, where Artemis was scared to go out into the streets for fear of someone figuring out who she had once been. When the information of her heritage had became public, there was only one solution: Artemis Crock disappeared. Barbara Gordon, formerly known as Oracle, arranged a new life for her, as clumsy MIT graduate who was an IT girl, and was several years older than Artemis. She set up a life in Starling City, got a job at Queen Consolidated, and reveled in her freedom.

She bleached her hair to an even lighter blonde, wore pale makeup to accent her less asian features, and babbled when she spoke, something Artemis Crock never did. Only someone who knew her personally would have been able to tell who Felicity Smoak really was. Felicity Smoak was an outlaw, a former vigilante, who was merely pretending to be innocent.

As much as she enjoyed life in Starling City as Felicity Smoak, it was difficult. Even though Roy Harper, formerly known as Arsenal, and Dinah Laurel Lance, former Black Canary, who now went by Laurel, had made this their home as well, they distanced from each other, fearful of anyone who might connect the dots. That Laurel Lance had been the mentor to three young heroes as the Black Canary.

Then Oliver Queen swooped in and drew her back into the life of a hero. It wasn’t as glamorous as before, working behind the scenes instead of by his side, but it was good work.

Diggle was a good man, reminding her briefly of Mal Duncan, who had only been Guardian a few months before being shot down by the Vigilante Defense Unit.

Then Oliver found Roy, and Felicity could hardly contain her excitement upon facing her old friend, and not being able to do a thing about it, to prove she recognized him.

When Laurel found out Oliver's secret, though resisted reclaiming her old mantel, Felicity forced herself to call her old mentor Laurel. Not Aunt Dinah. Not BC. Just Laurel. It was like telling her to call her mom Paula....wrong. But Felicity got through it.

When there was nobody else near them, Felicity would ask Roy how his brother was(always calling him Roy's brother. Not Roy, which would cause confusion). He'd reply, saying fine, that he was happy with Jade and Lian.

When there was nobody else near them, Felicity would ask Laurel if she wanted to go on patrol, for old times sake. Perhaps it was just an excuse to get into her costume, but it didn't matter. All Laurel did was scold her gently for carelessness.

Once when visiting the police station, Laurel invited her, Oliver, Roy, and Diggle over to her house for dinner. When Oliver and Diggle left, Roy and Felicity curled up to the older woman they considered to be an Aunt or a mother, once upon a time, and awoke hours later, still in the same position.

They had had close calls, like when Roy's holo-tech for his metallic arm broke, and they had to secretly zeta to Gotham to get it fixed before Oliver found out they were ever missing. Or when she and Diggle had been out for coffee, and a mugger tried to snatch her purse. On instinct, her hand twisted around to grab him in a choke-hold, years of training as sharp as ever. As far as Diggle knew, she was having Roy train her in case she was ever kidnapped again, after that debacle with Slade. Still, she and Roy now kept up the pretenses of that, sparring whenever possible.

To say Felicity was being slightly overcautious was an understatement, but she didn’t mind. She had rebuilt her life in this city, and refused to ruin it.

* * *

 

That certainly didn't mean she didn't keep up with old friends. Far from it, actually.

“Felicity! It’s so good to see you!” The raven-haired woman cheered, pulling Felicity into a hug. She couldn’t help but break into a smile at the familiar face, and wrapped her arms around her.

“I can’t believe you actually came, Zee.” Felicity chuckled, pulling back to get a good look at her friend.

“Girl, it's your twenty-sixth birthday. We aren’t gonna miss it for the world.” Raquel smirked, launching herself into the hug.

“Agreed. We’re going to party all night long.” Karen celebrated, raising her hand in an ungraceful high-five with Cassie.

“The first girl’s night out in years, and we are going to make it last.” M’gann grinned, “So, do you have any suggestions of where to go?” She asked hopefully, since Felicity was the only one who had ever seen the sights of Starling City.

“A friend of mine owns a nightclub.” Felicity offered, “Verdant. We could go there.”

“Verdant it is.” Barbara chuckled, “As long as it’s wheelchair accessible.”

“For you? Definitely.” Felicity smiled, leading the parade of girls out.

Upon arriving at Verdant, they were immediately led in, most likely due to Oliver’s influence, and spent the night dancing until midnight. Barbara hung out by the bar, being flirted on by various passerby, until the girls decided it was better they leave now than let Barbara stab the next man who came up next to her.

They had nearly made it out when Oliver appeared. "Hello, Felicity." He greeted calmly. "Who's your friends?"

"Old college buddies." Felicity answered with a bright grin. "Ladies, this is Oliver. Oliver, this is Barbara, Zatanna, Cassie, Megan, Raquel, and Karen." She introduced, pointing at each in turn.

"Oliver as in Oliver Queen?" Cassie grinned brightly, leaning against Megan. "You're friends with a billionaire?"

"Former billionaire." Oliver muttered sheepishly, seemingly shy upon meeting her friends that knew her before he did. "What brings you ladies to Starling City?"

"Felicity's birthday." Raquel answered,"She doesn't usually celebrate these things, but we insisted. Said this was the best club in town. I can see why." She chuckled, wiggling her eyebrows at Oliver.

"You're married!" Karen whacked her playfully, rolling her eyes. "Hands off the eye-candy."

Oliver blushed under their compliments, however used to them he was. These were Felicity's friends. "So, any interesting college stories? I know she went to MIT, but other than that..."

"Boy, we have hundreds." Raquel smirked at Felicity, who protested wildly in the background. "Has she ever told you about the time she and Wally completely set our classroom on fire? I swear the look on that Professor's face was priceless." She giggled, steering him off.

Well, at least she had the sense to swap the details for those of her cover story. The classroom had been the training room, and the professor had been Batman. The whole situation had not been so funny at the time.

Felicity rolled her eyes. Might as well enjoy their time together while it lasted.

* * *

 

"Please, 'Licity!" He pleaded,"I can't go to this thing alone. Those rich snobs will bore me to death!"

“Dick…” Felicity sighed, “I think you’re forgetting the fact that Felicity doesn’t know you.”

“Then come as Artemis, my old school buddy. Just one night!"

"What will the papers say?" Felicity asked softly,"They don't care if I'm your friend. I'm still the daughter of two criminals."

"Trust me, I'll make sure the only kind of press that gets into this event will be Iris and the Kents." Dick grinned into the phone, she could tell. "You can even wear Zee's necklace if you want."

Felicity sighed, defeated,"You owe me." She snapped,"I'll be there in three hours." She ended the call, before dialing a new number. "Hey, Ollie? Yeah, I, um, have a few friends visiting from out of town, so I'm going to have to skip out on tonight's patrol." She informed him straight off the bat.

After arriving in Gotham via zeta beam, wearing a slinky green number and all makeup scrubbed from her face, the orange jewel hung loosely around her neck, she made her way to the gala. After all, Artemis Crock was dead as far as the public was concerned.

She waited for the limo to pull up for seven minutes, and Dick finally arrived. "Kathy!" He greeted warmly, pulling her into a tight hug as the paparazzi snapped pictures.

"Kathy?" She hissed into his ear, and he chuckled.

"Let's head inside." He volunteered, leading the way into the Wayne Gala.

It was beautiful, she had to admit. It was also certainly an enjoyable time, she realized as she and Dick mocked the rich snos behind their backs, and caught up with each other properly.

Connor Kent walked in with his parents Lois and Clark, the reporter trio snapping pictures of the happenings and asking questions. At some point, Connor snuck away and ended up sitting next to the two, describing his life with M'gann in full.

Iris interviewed Dick Grayson briefly, and ended up hugging Felicity tightly. They hadn't spoken in years.

All in all, it was a productive evening, and if nobody could figure out who Dick Grayson's lady friend Kathy was, well, it didn't matter anyway. She disappeared later that night, and nobody was able to find a lead.

* * *

 

"This is a code red. Artemis to Gotham, now." Batman's voice hissed into the phone.

Felicity rubbed her eyes blearily, but was instantly alert upon hearing the emergency code,"What's up, B? Is the world ending again?” He hadn’t called her in ages, due to all former superheroes being retired, with Oliver the only operating vigilante.

"Get to Gotham, now." He ordered.

"What? Why?" Artemis asked, slipping into her long-buried Tigress uniform as she began to exit her bed.

There was a brief stint of silence. "Jason's back."

The blood rushed in her ears as she froze, too stunned to speak. "He's-but...he's...dead. Jason's dead, right?"

"Not anymore. You were close to him. He considered you an older sister. You need to talk him out of killing the Joker."

Felicity shut her eyes, squeezing them shut to keep the tears from falling. "I'm coming." She whispered, leaping out the window as Tigress. There was a zeta two blocks away from her apartment that she narrowed in on, running faster than she ever had before. Punching in the digits, she slid into the broken down phone booth.

'Tigress. B07.' The robotic voice droned, and she reappeared in Gotham. "Where is he, Bats?"

"Jason's in an abandoned warehouse on the Gotham pier. The Joker's with them. Hurry."

Tigress nodded. That wasn't too far away, and it'd be good to stretch her legs, as long as she got there before the killing blow. Jason would never be able to go back from that.

Ten minutes later, she crashed through the window, rolling with the impact as she stood in front of Jason, wearing a red domino mask, and the Joker, lying bloody on the floor.

"Huh. Guess the old man's been training more sidekicks than I thought." Jason snickered, his voice cold and sending chills down her spine.

It made sense he didn't recognize her. He knew Artemis. Tigress was a mystery. "I'm not a sidekick." She growled,"And most definitely not his. Step away from the Joker, Jason." She ordered.

Jason smirked, a familiar gesture but seemingly strange on him. It was painful, to see the malice in his eyes and the coming sneer on his lips. "Who's gonna stop me? Tiger girl?"

"No." She shook her head,"Artemis is." She said, reaching to pluck the mask from her head. "Batman called me in."

Jason's gaze softened slightly, and had the decency to knock the Joker out with the butt of his gun to protect her identity, before hardening once again, "How've you been, Artie? Seems to me like you're not so retired anymore. How's Wally been treating you?"

Artemis took a shaky breath. "Wally's dead, Jace. I am retired, just not when it comes to friends coming back from the dead, and to be honest, I've felt better."

A flash of pain flickered across his face. "Artemis..."

"Jason. You've been brought back to us. Alive." Artemis said softly. "Come home. Please."

Jason was shaking,"He didn't kill him." He whispered,"I won't go back until that clown is dead."

"Your family misses you." Artemis tried again, desperately.

"What family? The one that replaced me?" Jason snarled angrily,"I don't have a family." He lunged, punching her in the jaw from which she reeled.

"You have me." Artemis offered, holding out her hand,"Come on, little brother. Let's go."

The bullet embedded itself in her shoulder when he fired, and she grunted at the impact, though refused to let it show that he actually hurt her. "Please Jason. Wally left me alone. I need you. Dick needs you. God...even Bruce needs you. You didn't hear him when he called me in...he was broken."

"Bet he was hoping I'd stay dead, wasn't he?"

"It's not like that. Please Jason, I can't lose you too. Not like this." Artemis pleaded, her cries desperate. "You didn't see them after. The Joker was in a full body cast, Batman was more violent than ever. Tim might have patched a hole you left, but he never replaced you."

Jason faltered, and stayed still for a moment. "I've killed." He said slowly,"I've slit throats and cut off heads and put bullets in people's hearts. Am I still welcome? When there is so much blood on my hands?"

"If Jade can have a second chance, so can you. Come home, Jay."

For a moment she feared he was going to fight again. Then, the gun clattered to the ground. "Let's get you to Alfred." He murmured, inching up to rest his hand over the bullet wound. "You need help."

 

* * *

 

 

"Hey sis." Jade smirked, leaning against Roy, the clone Roy, with five year old Lian in her arms. "Mind if we come in?"

"Jade! What are you doing here!" Felicity exclaimed, ushering them through the doorway quickly, hugging her ex-villain sister and sort of brother but also brother-in-law, but not in a weird way. “And Roy! Seriously guys, you could have warned me.” She placed her hands on her hips, frowning.

“Why spoil the fun?” Jade laughed, flipping her dark hair as she and Roy lugged duffel bags in. They had always learned to pack light, but she assumed they wouldn’t be staying long.

“Besides, we decided it was about time we saw what kind of life you had going here, Felicity. Plus, it’s a good chance to see you and Little Me." Roy laughed heartily

Felicity rolled her eyes, “Well, I don’t have any room prepared, and my apartment is kind of small, so you’ll have to sleep on the couch.” She informed them, dropping to her knees as Jade whispered for Lian to go find Auntie Artie.

“Auntie Artie!” Lian cried out, toddling over to Felicity and wrapping her chubby arms around Felicity’s leg.

“Hey, Lian.” Felicity grinned, “But remember what I told you?”

“Call you Auntie Felicity.” Lian recited obediently, and Felicity applauded.

“Very good, sweetie.” Felicity chuckled, heading over to sit on the couch. Jade and Roy followed suit, making themselves comfortable. "So why are you guys really here?" She asked suspiciously, now that they were in private.

They exchanged a glance, which was never a good sign. Jade took a deep breath,"Daddy Dearest is back in town." She answered, watching as Felicity's eyes grew wide. "We decided to do what we can to help, and warn you about him while we're at it."

Felicity nodded,"Yeah, of course. I can get Arrow to track him, if I go about it correctly." She suggested, before a pang of worry went through her. “What about Mom?” He could go after their mother just as easily.

“I have Dick and Zatanna watching over her.” Cheshire explained.

They nodded. "Good." Roy said,"Until we actually have a plan, Lian and I are going to stay inside, while Jade acts as bait to draw him into the open."

Felicity opened her mouth to object, but Jade beat her to it. "We've already discussed this, sis. You can join me if you like, though Dad might recognize you."

She groaned, leaning back onto the couch. "Alright." She sighed after a moment, standing back up. "You guys do that. I'll work with Arrow on locking him back up before he can kill anyone else." She decided, standing back up and grabbing her purse, her larger one in order to fit her compound bow and arrows into in case of an emergency.

"Love you!" Jade called over her shoulder, playing with Lian as Felicity left, heading for Verdant.

God, this was bad. This was very bad. If Sportsmaster got a hold over Oliver, they were all in trouble, especially her, and the life she had built here. Last time they stuck him in jail, she had hoped he’d live out the rest of his days in there. Clearly, this wasn’t going to happen. Felicity felt tears well in her eyes, but she quickly brushed them away. She needed to face this from a logical standpoint, not because she felt any emotional connection to the case. Just act normal…

When Felicity went down to the cave, Roy and Oliver were sparring, while Diggle watched in faint amusement at how Oliver seemed to be holding back against the younger boy. Still, Felicity found her point of view much more amusing, considering how much Arsenal was holding back compared to that. “Hey, boys.” She called, getting a few grunts in reply as she sat herself in front of the computer. “Who’s ready for another long night?”

Diggle chuckled, shaking his head at her humorous take on the matter, as Oliver and Roy slowly stopped, walking up to where she began typing away. “What do you got, Felicity?” Oliver asked, slightly out of breath.

Felicity held her breath for a moment, before trying to relax. “Lawrence ‘Crusher’ Crock, aka Sportsmaster.” She stated, not meeting Roy’s eyes, though could feel him instinctively grip her shoulder. “Former member of the League of Assassins, now a hired gun. He’s wanted on accounts of hundreds of deaths in his lifetime, more recently the Ambassador of Nigeria, just days ago, though there’s been signs he’s set up shop here.” She informed them quickly, all in one breath as she listed the facts.

“I say we round this asshole up quickly. Do you know where he is?” Roy asked, eyes cold as he stared at the picture of the blond man on the screen.

Jade would probably have reached third street by now, Felicity figured, and told them “Third Street.” At least, if Jade was doing her job properly and luring out Sportsmaster. “He’s been spotted hanging around there.”

They nodded, heading to gear up for their newest task, though Roy lingered behind and looked down at her reassuringly. “You alright?” He checked, voice low in the dark cave.

All Felicity could do was nod, before breaking down, body wracked with silent sobs, burying her face in Roy’s shoulder. “No…” She whispered, “God, I thought he was gone for good...I thought…” She trailed off, sniffling and brushing tears from her eyes. “Look at me, I’m a mess.” She chuckled, pushing away from him, and attempting a half-smile. “Jade and Roy are back. Them and Lian are crashing at my apartment, if you want to see them in the next few days.” She added.

Roy frowned at her change in demeanor, but needed to get dressed before Oliver and Diggle noticed. Luckily, he was great at speed-changes. “Yeah, sure. I’m sure Laurel will love to come too.” He added, before leaving her to get into his red leather outfit. "But this conversation isn't over. Got it?" He called over his shoulder.

"Yeah." She mumbled. Felicity slumped in her chair, leaning her head back as she attempted to wipe off the streaks of mascara running down her face. She glanced up at the mugshot of Crusher Crock, shaking her head. “Daddy...why are you doing this to me?".

* * *

 

“Heading onto third street now.” Oliver spoke into the communicator, that sounded in the ears of Roy and Diggle.

Felicity monitored the streets, narrowing her eyes at the security camera footage, looking for the silver tint of Sportsmaster’s mask or the bright blond hair similar to her own. Walking lazily on the streets, she could make out her sister’s form gracefully weaving through the crowd.

Suddenly without warning, a javelin was soaring through the air quickly, heading towards Jade. At the last minute, Jade performed an acrobatic dodge, causing the javelin to embed itself in a car. “Ollie! Roy!” She shouted into the communicators, “I found him, on the bank roof.”

“Almost there.” Oliver replied, “Diggle, you’re up.”

“I see him.” Diggle grunted, on the next roof over from their target, leaping towards him.

Sportsmaster turned towards the oncoming man, and his hand found it’s way to his bat, swinging it towards Diggle’s skull. Felicity cried out into the comms as she heard the sickening crunch. “Diggle's down, Oliver, hurry.” She hissed.

But Oliver wasn’t the next one to show up on the screen. Jade was...or rather, Cheshire.

“Hold up, guys. Unidentified masked female engaging with target. Observe only.” Felicity ordered. "Maintain radio silence. He could have others trying to hack our frequency." Okay, that part was total bullshit, but Felicity needed to do something. Nobody else was getting hurt, she decided, standing up.

Oliver pressed himself up against the wall, listening to them speak. Roy arrived seconds later.

“What are you doing here?” The one in the cat mask snarled, marching right up to the man. It seemed they knew each other personally.

"What? Am I not allowed to visit anymore?" Sportscaster scoffed, clearly amused. "Y'know, I think I should at least get some visitation rights. After all, I am a grandfather." His voice was slow, and dripping with honey.

"No. You're not. Not anymore. You're selfish and rude and will never change, and you won't go near my daughter." The woman spat harshly.

So this was Sportsmaster's daughter. Odd...he hadn't known he had children. Perhaps Felicity could pull something up later.

"Don't be a hypocrite, little girl, it doesn't suit you." Sportsmaster snapped, "If I'm selfish and rude, what does that make you? What does that make your mother? Or Artemis?"

The last name he spoke caused the cat woman to lunge forward, pinning him to the ground angrily. "Artemis is the best of all of us, Dad, and you know it. You can insult me all you like, but Mom? Artemis? They're out of bounds."

"Don't, Cheshire." A new girl stepped onto the scene,a orange and black mask covering her upper face. She was dressed in orange leather, with black accents, a crossbow pointed at the man. She was obviously wearing a voice modifier similar to his own. "He's not worth it."

Cheshire whipped her head around,"I won't let him hurt us again." She growled, though he could tell her grip was loosening.

"He won't." The woman, who he suspected was Artemis, told Cheshire. "You don't need to do this."

"What, so he can torment us more?" Cheshire hissed.

"Yeah." Artemis nodded softly,"Because we're better than that."

Cheshire snorted,"Maybe you are." But still, she did nothing against him, as Artemis's arrow shifted to point at Sportsmaster's head.

"C'mon Dad. You aren't causing any more trouble tonight." She said firmly.

Sportsmaster chuckled, shoving Cheshire off easily and gradually getting to his feet. "Whatever you say, baby girl." He smirked, hardly wasting a second before a smoke pellet was dropped, and he was gone.

"Dammit!" Jade snarled, lashing out at thin air.

Artemis sighed heavily, raising a hand to her forehead. "He'll be back. He always is. Now I need to get back before I'm noticed. I'll be home soon." Artemis informed, and it almost looked like she glanced in Oliver's direction, before launching a grappling hook and swinging off into the night. Cheshire followed soon after.

Breathless, Oliver's finger went to his comm. "You got that?" He asked softly.

"Loud and clear, boss. Running voice recognition, but they were both using modifiers. Check on Diggle, will you?" Felicity suggested, and Oliver obliged, heading over to his still unconscious friend.

"Are you out of breath?" Oliver asked, feeling for Diggle's pulse. The woman on the other line seemed to be...panting?

"Course not." Felicity breathed,"But that was super intense. Like wow, and they were wearing costumes and everything. Do you think they’re vigilantes?”

Roy crawled out of hiding, taking over in helping Diggle to his feet. The man was still groggy, but still had some basic functions.

Oliver was silent for a moment at her babbling, and she held her breath, praying he was fooled. “I’m not so sure. If they were, why haven’t we heard from them? No, I’m thinking Sportsmaster’s children just decided to play dress up to stop their father from going on a killing spree. There’s no evidence they’d ever fought for good before, just that they weren’t completely evil. Or maybe just more strategic than their father.

Felicity nodded, before realizing he couldn’t see. “Affirmative, boss-man. Get back to base, and we’ll see if we can pin anything down.”

"I'll see you then." Oliver nodded, before going over to help Roy.

* * *

 

"Lawrence Crock had two children: Artemis Crock and Jade Nguyen, to his ex-wife Paula Nguyen, formerly known as Huntress." Felicity said, her voice level at the information. "They grew up in Gotham, until Jade ran away when she was a teenager, quite possibly due to their father training the two girls to become assassins while their mother was in jail." Felicity recited. In fact, she didn't even need to read the information from the computer. She could recite her past from memory.

"When Paula got out of jail, now in a wheelchair, she reformed, and sent her husband away. When she was 16, Artemis was accepted into Gotham Academy on a scholarship from Bruce Wayne himself. When she was twenty three, and in college in Palo Alto, she dropped off the map." Felicity said, glancing at them. "Neither have been seen in ages."

"You said they were trained to be assassins?" Oliver checked.

"Yes. Lawrence and Paula were both members of the League of Assassins. Lawrence still retains his membership."

Oliver nodded,"Then it's entirely possible the girls went into the family business. Pull up a picture of them."

Felicity nodded, pulling up two photos of separate Asian girls. One had dark hair and the other was blonde. In the first picture was Artemis, grinning next to Wally that she remembered being put on the school website for some reason or another. The other was Jade frowning for a school photo, most likely for the yearbook. She looked to be in her early teens, most likely a freshman in high school, the year she ran away.

"The blonde kinda looks like you, Felicity." Diggle grinned cheekily, and Felicity blushed crimson.

"Yeah, except, you know, Asian. And evil, apparently." Felicity murmured, subconsciously checking her delicately applied makeup on the screen and adjusting her glasses.

"Maybe she's your evil twin." Diggle suggested with a teasing snicker, and Felicity ground her teeth to stop herself from yelling.

"C'mon man, let it go." Roy huffed, before Felicity decided to shed blood. "Let's just focus on nabbing Lawrence before jumping to conclusions on his daughters anyway. They aren't our primary concern."

"But they could lead us to him. Besides, if we're right, they could be keeping him safe from detection." Oliver frowned at Roy's argument. "I say, we see if their mother has anything to do with them." He voted, unable to keep the snarl from his voice.

Felicity couldn't help herself from standing up in a surge of anger, but Roy squeezing her wrist shook her back into her senses. Instead of yelling at him, she nodded, acting like she was headed somewhere. "You do that. Just remember she has to be in her sixties by now, ex-villain or not, and in a wheelchair. Be gentle. Now, I need to go home and get my two hours of sleep in before work."

Okay, that was a lie, she wouldn't be sleeping at all. She needed to make a few calls.

* * *

 

The next night, Oliver journeyed to Gotham City alone, with only Felicity in his ear as backup. When he arrived at the current address of Paula Nguyen, he began to scope out the location diligently. Her apartment was on the third floor, and facing the street below, with a window in the living room. Oliver used that as his vantage point.

He crept down to the window sill, just behind the wall, and gently pressed a listening device to the window, before swinging across the street to hide in the darkness, using binoculars to get a closer view. Inside, was a dark haired woman in a wheelchair, wisps of silver in her hair, and dark eyes hidden behind spectacles. To be honest, she didn't look like a killer. Still, Oliver knew looks could be deceiving.

He watched her work, pouring over whatever was on the table for several minutes, before her head turned up and grinned. Out of the kitchen walked one blonde and one dark haired male, no more than 25

The male was attractive, in perhaps a nerdy kind of way. He had neatly cut hair, and a lean form. He looked familiar. Perhaps a model. The woman was small, but muscular, and radiated authority despite herself.

"Stephanie, there was no need to make dinner. I'm perfectly capable." Paula sighed, though he could tell she didn't mean it.

"Too bad, Ms Nguyen. Me and Tim are here to help, and if that means making you food while you grade papers, then we'll gladly do that." Stephanie beamed back, serving the small dinner for three onto a set of plates.

"You two are going to be the death of me." Paula sighed, "Sit down and join me." She ordered fondly.

The two complied, and the dinner was filled with laughing, teasing, and overall joyfulness that he felt somewhat awkward to be watching, as if he was intruding. Oliver hadn't seen any reason for Paula to be involved yet. Maybe a few more hours before returning to Starling.

There was a knock on the door, and Tim and Stephanie exchanged a look with Paula. Stephanie gave the slightest of nods before standing up to open it. She seemed tense as she peeked through the eyehole, and visibly relaxing. "It's just Jason." She grinned.

The door swung open to reveal a tall, broad-shouldered young man. He had bright red hair, with a white tuft in the front. "Hey, Steph. Hey Timbo." He greeted, marching in,"Hey Ms Nguyen." He added, bending some to peck Paula's cheek lightly.

"What are you doing here Jay?" Tim sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"You aren't answering your phones." Jason claimed, waving his own in front of their faces. "Artie's been calling you all night. She ended up calling me in when she couldn't get ahold of you."

Oliver straightened up immediately. This was the proof he'd been waiting for, that Paula was in league, or at least in contact, with her family.

"Why?" Tim frowned.

"The Arrow, which is a dumb name by the way, is coming for a visit." Jay declared, "By the way, have you two noticed how he completely ripped off Artie's color scheme?"

Oliver blinked in surprise. How'd they know he was coming? How did Artemis know he was coming? And why did he rip off a color scheme?

"Damn it." Tim sighed, "And yes, I did notice, but it's not like she was in the limelight all the time. He probably never even knew about her."

Looks like these people were in on it too. How far did the Crock's connections stretch?

"Bet you five bucks he's already here." Jason smirked, though was silenced by another glare from Tim.

"He's probably been listening to us this whole time." Stephanie gaped, turning to Tim,"Who knows what he's heard."

Oliver knew now he had to get away. He didn't want to get caught after all.

* * *

 

"The Crock connections stretch much further than we thought." Oliver informed the next night. "I saw three young adults with Paula while I was there, all of which who knew of Artemis's activities, and somehow knew I would be there." He said. "Felicity, can you track them down somehow?"

She nodded, "Can you give me a little more information on them?"

"Their names are Tim, Stephanie, and Jason." He said,"Tim has dark hair, lean muscle, blue eyes, and around 5’7. Stephanie had blonde hair reaching the middle of her back. Surprisingly small for someone of her profession, but definitely some muscle there. Jason is broader than the others. He has red hair, a few freckles, green eyes, and a white streak in his hair." He supplied as much as he knew.

Felicity nodded,"It'll take me some time to narrow down the results. I suggest you focus your interests elsewhere for the next few days." She said dryly, pouring over the work. At least, pretending to. She knew who each was by name, age, and favorite color.

Oliver nodded,"I have another lead on Crock." He told her.

"Really? What?" Felicity asked in surprise.

"He's formerly of the League, isn’t he? I'm paying a visit to Nyssa."

* * *

 

Nyssa didn't have much to say about Crock. "He's an imbecile. Never adapted to our way of fighting very well. Paula was a good assassin, before she left." She said, somewhat bitterly.

"And the girls?" He prompted.

"They're angels." Nyssa grinned wickedly,"We were close when they were younger. Lost touch with Artemis, but I trained alongside Jade." She explained. "I assume this has something to do with Crusher Crock's reappearance?"

"Something like that." Oliver agreed slowly, keeping the full story to himself.

Nyssa sniffed indignantly. "Worry not. I hold no allegiance to that man." She claimed, "Neither do Artemis and Jade. They hate his very existence with a passion." She sighed,"Besides, Artemis isn’t a criminal, and Jade gave up the family business to take care of her own family."

Oliver scowled. "I saw the girls encounter their father. They were costumed and armed. There was no indication that they were not in the family business as well."

Nyssa sighed,"I think that is the most idiotic thing you've said as of yet." She told him promptly,"I must insist you leave now."

Oliver narrowed his eyes, then turned around. He still wasn't convinced, but perhaps he could wait until Felicity was done with the information on the three friends of the Crocks.

* * *

 

"Wayne Manor, this is Tim speaking."

"Tim. I need you to erase you Jason, and Steph out of every system in the planet. Like now." Felicity demanded.

"Arrow saw us, didn't he?"

"Yeah, and now Oliver’s investigating. He has it in his head that Jade Nguyen and Artemis Crock are evil and is convinced that you guys are helping the Crocks." Felicity explained hurriedly.

"Alright, I'm on it." Tim decided promptly, and she heard the clicking of keys. "Why didn't you just call Babs? You do know she's better than me at this stuff, right?" He chatted.

"She's on a date with your brother." Felicity replied, yawning. "Didn't wanna disturb the love-fest."

"Makes sense." Tim hummed in agreement. "Alright...done! Your three culprits no longer exist. Just call me when you want them back on the web."

"Alright. I just need a few hours to make sure Oliver doesn't suspect anything." Felicity nodded,"Bye Tim. Tell everyone I said hi."

"Will do, 'Mis." Tim chuckled,"Oh, bye the way, Steph wants to know if you want to have a sleepover with her, Cass, Zatanna, and Babs on Saturday."

Of course, sleepovers included doing their nails, watching cheesy movies, making fun of the boys, and secretly patrolling Gotham's rooftops. Bruce didn't want heroes in the spotlight anymore, and neither did any of the other former leaguers. Hence the secrets. Felicity laughed,"Tim, I'm 28 years old. I think that's a little old for sleepovers." She joked, and he laughed in response. "I'll check my schedule, tell Oliver I'm taking a sick day or something."

"Great." Tim smirked, ending the call.

* * *

 

"It's like they're ghosts." Felicity shrugged, watching Oliver's expression. "No traceable records, no ids, no history. They may be from the League of Assassins, which is why we can't find anything." She suggested, watching his lips tighten into a grimace. “Perhaps Nyssa was lying to protect them, or simply didn’t know.”

"Looks like you were on the money with this one, Oliver." Diggle chuckled,"If the mother is housing Assassins, there is definitely something else going on in that freaky family."

Felicity tried not to flinch.

"Yeah, looks like you were right." Felicity echoed, meeting Roy's eye with an almost undetectable nod. He nodded back. "We'll hunt down the girls as well, add them to the capture list along with Crusher." She decided slowly.

"I'll head out tonight, see if I can't catch any leads, or draw them out into the open."

"Got it." Felicity nodded,"Take backup along. Something tells me this family is not one to be messed with."

"Roy, Diggle. Let's go." Oliver murmured, and she smirked when they turned to get ready, hand hovering over the dial button to call her sister.

* * *

 

"So, I hear you've been looking for us?” Cheshire purred, landing gracefully behind the Arrow,"I'll have you know, I'm a married woman. If you're not careful, you'll give a girl the wrong impression." She smirked.

"Jade Nguyen!" Arrow barked, drawing his bow,"You have-"

"Failed this city. Yeah, I know. Whatever." Tigress dropped in, rolling her eyes, “We’re just here to clear the air, Robin Hood."

"How so?" He growled, never wavering in his grip.

"Me and my sister? Stay away." Cheshire stated firmly, lips pursed beneath the mask. “Our family matters are our own, and you need to keep out of them.” She ordered.

“What she’s trying to say,” Tigress cut in,"Was that you don’t know what goes on in our family, so don’t automatically assume.”

“Criminals don’t deserve privacy. You can’t be trusted.

Cheshire smirked,”Aw, darling. Of course we can’t. That doesn’t make us criminals, does it?”

“What about the costumes? I highly doubt you bought them from the Halloween store. It's obvious you've been trained. Well, in fact." Arrow listed the remaining facts. "And why didn't your 'friends' show up in any databases?"

"Oh, fine. You got me. I'm a former assassin. Like, I stopped eight years ago. Got married, had a kid, a lot can happen." She chuckled,"But Tigress over here has always been good. Batman can vouch for us.

Arrow twisted his mouth into a frown. "Batman hasn't been seen in years."

"Doesn't mean he's dead. Just...much more covert." Tigress shrugged, walking a little closer to him. "As for our friends, well, we don't want you finding anything out about them, ruining our lives and all that. We have identities to protect. We take care of our own, and wiped them from the database."

Arrow's lip curled beneath the hood.

"Don't worry about us, Queen. We won’t bother you." Tigress called, back flipping off the roof,"Just take care of Crusher!"

He rushed back to base quickly.

 

* * *

 

 

"They know what we're going to do before we do it." Oliver ranted,"They know who we are, and where we live. They probably have the base tapped."

"Calm down, Oliver. You said they know Batman, which could mean they're good. Besides, they haven't given any indication that they'll use your identity against you." Felicity reasoned.

"We can't know that, Felicity. We don't know them." Oliver shot back, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"I'm siding with Felicity on this one." Roy spoke up. "They were just leveling the playing field in a way. Now you both know who each other are."

Oliver didn't seem to agree, but let the topic slide for tonight. The next day, Felicity was somehow bedridden with a fever, and unable to work.

* * *

 

"You're here!" Steph giggled, throwing her arms around Felicity. "You actually made it! I was worried you were just being nice with Tim and all, but God, I haven't seen you in forever!" Steph babbled, ushering Felicity into Wayne Manor.

"I wouldn't miss this for the world." Felicity grinned, looking around the large entry hall. "Are the others here yet?"

"Well, Cass is already here, because, she lives here. Babs and Zee are making their way over now." Steph informed her, leading Felicity to the grandfather clock in the other room, and moving the hands delicately to say the time of Bruce Wayne's parents murders. It opened up, and they stepped into the Batcave.

"Anybody else coming or is this it?" Felicity asked.

"M'gann's on her Honeymoon with Connor, Raquel couldn't find a babysitter for the newest addition, Karen is busy with Ray Palmer, and Cassie is on Themyscira." Steph listed, descending the staircase.

"Guess it's just us Gotham girls." Felicity chuckled, high-fiving Steph.

* * *

 

Oliver knocked on the door sheepishly, ignoring the looks he got from Felicity's neighbors that were passing by. He only waited a few moments before a man with bright red hair opened the door looking slightly bedraggled, with a young girl in his arm.

"Uh.." Oliver frowned, "Is this Felicity Smoak's apartment?"

"Yeah." The man nodded, leaning against the doorframe. "Who wants to know?" He questioned, almost defensively.

"Oliver Queen." He answered, waiting for the look of recognition, which quickly came.

"Oh, yeah. She talks about you a lot." The man nodded,"But I'm sorry, I'm sure you've heard she's sick."

"Yeah, she called and told me." Oliver said slowly,"I'm sorry, but who are you?"

"Oh, sorry. Me and my wife are old friend's of Felicity's. From high school actually. We were in town when she got sick, and she called us over to help out around the house." He chuckled,"I'm Red Harper. This is Lian."

Oliver's eyebrows raised in surprise, immediately beginning to catalogue similarities between Red and Roy. They looked practically the same, except Red was about 5 or 6 years older. Lian was clearly his daughter, except prominent Asian features, most likely from his wife.

Red seemed to notice his confusion. "I think you know my brother, Roy." He smirked.

Oliver nodded,"So...Felicity knew you and Roy before coming to Starling City?" He questioned slowly. They'd never given any indication of it before.

"Ah, no." Red rubbed the back of his neck, bouncing Lian on his hip. "Roy kind of ran away when he was fifteen, which was about when I met Artemis." He answered.

"Oh. Well, I was just wondering if she needed any help. Apparently not." Oliver nodded,"I guess I'll see you around, if you decide to stick around a while."

"Maybe." Red shrugged,"I'll tell Felicity you stopped by."

"Thanks." Oliver waved, before the door was shut on his face. Something didn't sit right with him, but he figured it was just the fact he found out some new information on two of his partners. It was entirely possible they didn't know this themselves, so they weren't necessarily keeping secrets. Still...

* * *

 

"Try and keep up!" Tigress called behind her shoulder, bounding across Gotham's rooftops.

"Ha! You wish you were as fast as me." Spoiler taunted, flipping dramatically as she leaped.

Black Bat merely grunted her own response, though did put on a burst of speed that placed her in front of Tigress. Of course, you could never underestimate her.

"I think I'm keeping up just fine." Zatanna smirked, floating just above the girls,"After all, running is boring."

Spoiler gasped dramatically,"Okay, that was like ten thousand levels of rude to us powerless folks. What do you think, Oracle?"

"I think Zatanna could kick your asses in a race any day." Oracle smirked behind the commlink, sitting back in the Batcave. "Except for Cass." She added after a pause, and Black Bat nodded her approval.

"Mugging." Tigress announced, straightening. "I'll take this." She volunteered, leaping down into the alley.

There, a bulky man with a gun was cornering a slightly smaller man. "Gimme your money and I won't shoot your brains out." He threatened in a low growl.

Tigress reacted immediately as she hit the ground, kicking the gun from his hand and grabbing him in a choke hold. "Don't touch him." She hissed into his ear, shoving him against the wall. His head cracked against the concrete and he slumped, unconscious.

The man looked up in surprise. "Uh, thank you." He said slowly, brushing his hand through his hair.

Tigress dipped her head in acknowledgement, and grappled to the roof. "Alright, anything else?" She grinned cheerily.

"Fire on 37th street." Oracle told the group of girls, and they all dashed across the roofs once again.

* * *

 

"Hey, Felicity. Glad to see you're feeling better." Oliver greeted as Felicity entered the cave.

"Yeah, 24 hour bug. No biggie." She shrugged, taking her usual seat. "Did I miss anything?"

Oliver hesitated, which was never a good sign in her opinion. "Did you know Roy has a brother?" He blurted out.

Felicity raised an eyebrow,"Of course." She answered. Red had informed her all about the conversation that had went down, and they compared stories.

"How long?" He questioned.

"Just a little after we met." Felicity shrugged, tilting her head. "Why the questions?"

“I met Roy’s brother, Red. And you never bothered to admit that you know his brother, or that he even has a brother?” Oliver probed. Of course, he didn't like being out of the loop on something, no matter how childish it seemed.

"It didn't seem that important." Felicity sighed, leaning back in her seat. "Is there a point to this conversation Oliver? Or can we start looking for Sportsmaster now?"

Oliver didn't respond for several moments, his lips twisted into a grim expression. "Fine."

* * *

 

Felicity was acting strange, and not in a good way. She said whatever came to her mind and stumbled over her words, but lately she'd been secretive. She was more calculative, and Oliver planned to find out why.

Earlier, she'd told him she was going to dinner with Red's family and Roy, which gave him plenty of time to investigate. First step was to get into Felicity's apartment.

He opened up the window, after disabling the alarm, and slipped stealthily through. The apartment was in disorder, a baby crib in the main room, in front of a couch. There was clothes strewn across the floor, yet none appeared to be Felicity's. Food was stacked on the counter in boxes, ranging from Cheerios and homemade casserole.

He frowned, walking around, observing his surroundings in detail as he made his way down the hall and to Felicity's bedroom. Inside was pale green walls, with a darker green mattress on the queen sized bed. The dresser was littered with photographs, one with her grinning next to a dark haired boy, a blonde, and a red head. He picked up the frame, turning it over to read the loopy handwriting; _Dick, Bette, and Barbara; Graduation._ Barbara looked familiar, and he quickly put it together that she had been the girl in the wheelchair he’d met ages ago. He set it back down.

The picture was of a to a girl with auburn hair, a dark skinned blonde, and a boy with dark hair. The girl was grinning wildly, splashing the blond man. The Raven-haired man was crossing his arms trin pretend annoyance, though anyone could see the amusement on his face. Oddly enough, Oliver could see what looked to be scars on the blond’s neck, three on both sides as if to mimic gills, and had snaking black tattoos on his shoulders and arms. On the back was _M’gann, Connor, and Kaldur; Pool Party, Year 3_. He didn’t know what year three was, but everyone there looked happy in the small alcove. When he met M’gann previously, he could have sworn her name was Megan though.

The next was a picture of a young boy grinning, with a young blonde Asian who was making a frown at the camera held in his palm. On the back was inscribed, _We’ll laugh about this someday_. Odd...

This photo had three gingers, each of varying ages yet all looking the same, though one had a prosthetic arm. The oldest was in the middle, grinning sheepishly. The other two seemed to be yelling at each other, fists clenched. The back read _Roy, Red, and Jim: Sometimes it’s hard to believe they aren’t brothers with the way the fight_. Oliver raised a brow. That...looked like Roy. And Red. But who was the oldest? And why did Roy have a prosthetic but not anymore?

Then there was a picture of a table, with a brunette, a blonde man and woman, two elderly people with graying hair, two men with ginger hair, and a young auburn boy. There was more food piled on the table than Oliver thought anyone could ever eat, yet most was centered around the ginger boy, auburn boy, blond man, and elderly man. _Family dinner can get a little extreme with the Wests_ graced the back, and he had to snicker at that, especially as he noticed the youngest boy flinging a spoonful of what looked like mashed potatoes at the youngest ginger.

Then was a Hispanic boy, and two Raven-haired boys, all playing video games. _Billy, Jaime, and Tim can get slightly competitive_ was inscribed on the back. It was clear they were all yelling. The young boy Tim…he looked familiar, but Oliver couldn't place him.

Then there was a picture of another large group, all making faces at the camera, except for the dark haired man and the elderly butler. Nothing stuck out, except for the boy with the white tuft of hair in front, and the two blondes. On the back was _Hanging with the Batbrats: Bruce, Alfred, Dick, Jason, Tim, Damian, Steph, Cass_. He didn't know what a ‘Batbrat’ was, but he distinctly noticed Bruce Wayne was the man, and wondered how Felicity knew him.

The next was the backs of a blonde and a red head, leaning into each other as fireworks went off in the distance. They seemed...happy. The back was different handwriting, a sweet message. _Wally said this picture Barry took made you look like the prettiest girl in the universe. He’d want you to have it. Keep in touch_. Then in a loopy scrawl, was _Aunt Iris_. Oliver frowned, setting it down. He’d never heard of any of these people, except for Barbara and M’gann. Why didn’t Felicity talk about her life before MIT? He hadn't even known she’d had an Aunt.

Oliver shook his head, looking over the room once more. The closet was full of the practical skirts and blouses he always saw Felicity in, though he saw some dresses and jeans mixed in as well. The nightstand had a single book, The Westing Game, with a post-it note reminding her to return to Mal by Thursday.

Nothing completely explained Felicity’s extreme oddness as of late. Nor the blatant lies she’d apparently been telling. It made Oliver wonder...How well did he really know Felicity Smoak?

He surveyed the photos once again, trying to piece together missing information. Jason...Tim….Stephanie….the mysterious blonde Asian in a few of the photos. He knew those names, and the blonde looked familiar. He scrunched his eyes, and then remembers, and realizes. Felicity knew the Crocks, and their friends.

But why? Why wouldn’t she tell them of the connection? Unless...she was still was in touch with them. There had to be a missing link. And then he found it: A trunk in the corner of her closet, clearly locked. Luckily, Oliver was quite skilled at picking locks.

In less than a minute, he was prying open the chest, and looking into the contents. What he saw made him freeze. Felicity didn’t know the Crocks...she was a Crock.

 

* * *

 

 

“Okay, so on a scale of one to ten, how awful of customers were we?” Felicity asked, laughing, yet completely serious at the same time. “Because I still have to live here.”

“I’m sure babies through tantrums all the time because they’re not allowed to have the sharp knife.” Red snickered, causing Felicity to groan

“This is why we aren’t allowed anywhere nice.” Laurel whacked Red upside the hand, though smiled fondly at the sleeping Lian.

“I thought that was just Jade’s charming personality!” Roy scoffed.

“Damn right.” Jade interjected, fumbling with the key to Felicity’s apartment. She always had the spare, just in case.

“Lian inherited from her mother.” Laurel shrugged, causing Felicity to snicker.

“Well you’re not wrong.” She smirked, flicking on the light to the apartment. That’s when everything she’d worked for fell to pieces, as she came face to face with the Arrow, with a single arrow notched in place. His face wore the look of betrayal, despite him trying to mask it so well. “Ollie.” She murmured softly, eyes widening, and Arrow reaffirmed his stance upon realizing all who was with her.

“Artemis Crock.” He snarled,”You have failed this city.”

“Don’t you dare, Oliver.” Laurel growled, pushing her way up to stand in front of Felicity, “Don’t you dare.”

“I don’t know what place you have here, Laurel, but if I need to fight you, I will. The same goes for Roy.” He said strongly.

Felicity tilted her head,”How’d you figure it out?” She asked curiously.

“You’ve been acting strange all week.” Arrow answered, “I investigated while you all were apparently out.” He took a deep breath, “Tell me the truth, Felicity, Artemis. Who are you? Who are you all?” He turned to face them, lingering on Laurel and Roy specifically.

“My name is Dinah Laurel Lance. I’m a metahuman, formerly of the Justice League as the Black Canary. I’m the mentor of Arsenal, Red Arrow, and Tigress, and former den mother, therapist, and trainer of a covert youth branch of the Justice League designated ‘The Team’.” Laurel spoke first, eyes defiant, stepping to the front.

“I’m Roy Harper, the first and original Speedy, now Arsenal. I was a member of ‘Young Justice’ for a short time before striking out on my own, and then going into hiding. I’m the first protege of the Black Canary.” Roy said boldly, resting his hand on Felicity’s shoulder gently.

“I’m the second Roy Harper and Speedy, but now go by Red to avoid confusion. I was the first Red Arrow, a former member of The Team and the Justice League. I was a mole, a clone, and now I’m a father and husband.”

Jade kissed his cheek gently, before taking up the speech. “I’m Jade Nyguyen, daughter of Huntress and Sportsmaster, sister of Tigress. I went by Cheshire when I worked for the League of Assassins and as a freelance. I was a killer for hire, but now I’m a mother and wife.”

Felicity grinned softly at all of them, tears welling in her eyes and looked down, whispering, “My name is Artemis Crock. I was a vigilante known as Artemis, then Tigress. I was a member of the Team. I’m the daughter and sister of assassins and villains. Some former, some not. When vigilantes were outlawed across the world, my heritage was revealed to the world, so I disappeared, and Felicity Smoak was born. I’m a hacker. I’m an IT girl. I’m part of team Arrow.” She took a shaking breath. “What I’m not, is a criminal.”

Oliver had lowered his bow throughout their words. “This doesn’t make any sense.”

“It doesn’t need to. Not yet.” Laurel said firmly, “Right now, we need to capture Crusher Crock and lock him up for good.” She finished with a snarl in her tone.

Oliver breathed out, “Yeah, let’s do that.” He said softly.

“We’ll explain everything to you and Digg later, Ollie.” Roy said, placing a hand on Oliver’s shoulder.

“So, who’s ready to get out their costumes?” Felicity asked with a devilish glint in her eye.

“I’m game.” Laurel decided, “You still keep those spare costumes around, right?”

“As if I’d get rid of them.” Felicity bantered right back, gesturing to the trunk he had rifled through. “Gears in the closet.”

That night, The Arrow went patrolling with Tigress, Black Canary, Arsenal, Red Arrow, and Cheshire(who may or may not have had Lian strapped to her chest). For the first time in a long while, he thought that maybe this was what happiness was like.

 

**Author's Note:**

> You may have noticed that it ended up being slightly rushed at the end, but I've worked about six months on this story, so I'll be damned if it isn't up to par. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed! Please review in the comments below to help me improve my writing and get new inspiration!


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